<< Previous   of   Next >> Enterprise/Amy Daybert  (click to enlarge) Brooke Janmohamed and her son, Jordan, 6, clean tables Feb. 27 after the weekly free dinner at POPY's Cafe at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Shoreline. The pair volunteers once a month at POPY's Cafe.

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

POPY's Cafe busy feeding the masses

By Amy Daybert
Enterprise editor

Once a week, Shoreline resident Maria Clemente enjoys a free dinner at POPY's Café.

"I get a healthy meal here," Clemente, a student at North Seattle Community College said. "I go to school in the evenings so it's usually, come in, eat and leave."

The free meal program is a collaboration between the Shoreline/South County Family YMCA and the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Every Wednesday attendees at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church range in ages and include church members, residents, volunteers, and neighbors who are all in search of a good, hot meal.

Resident Todd Hammer and his son ate at POPY's on Feb. 27.

"It's a ritual and one night we don't have to worry about cooking dinner," Hammer said. "It helps out with finances quite a bit."

Throughout the evening, POPY's patrons ate chicken and eggplant parmesan while pastor Pam Russell handed out meal tickets at the door and kept track of how many people were coming inside. She said up to 150 people attend the dinner.

But the number of those who take advantage of Shoreline's only free meal program is expected to grow. A recent $5,000 grant from United Way will allow coordinators of the program to serve 50 additional residents each week, according to Megan Miller, family program coordinator for the YMCA.

"We're all very excited about that," she said. "It should be something to try to get more people from our community and try to build our volunteer base."

The program is advertised throughout the area's schools and food banks, but attendance is based largely on word of mouth, she said.

"We definitely have a set group of regulars each week; they're very dedicated," Miller said. "We have groups of people who come for three weeks at a time and then we don't see them again and (there are) those who have connections through the church."

Bill Padden began volunteering with the program when it began in 2005. After several weeks, he was asked if he wanted to try cooking meals. Now Padden plans and cooks meals every week.

"Serving more people will require several more volunteers on a regular, weekly basis," he said. "We have a wonderful volunteer base; they're just so loyal. We couldn't do it without the volunteers."

Although he enjoys cooking, Padden said a guest chef once a month would also be a nice addition to the program. He has experienced up to 200 people moving through the food line in a night but said no one has ever been turned away or gone away hungry.

"We've never run out of food," he said. "No one has ever come and been turned away and they never will be because even if we run out of the main dishes I have food in the pantry and I would prepare something."

All leftover food is taken to tent city locations or a shelter, according to Padden. Meals are also delivered to residents in the area who are unable to get out of their homes and come to the dinner, he said.

"For those who can't make it we cater out," he said. "That's something we like doing and we would like to know if there are more people that could use that service."

Church member Esther Mayes appreciates Padden's culinary skills.

"When he first started (food) was a little on the spicy side," she said. "He's learned too and he's hit that happy medium. You don't hear any complaints."

Volunteer Joy Cunningham works at POPY's every week and hopes the word will spread about the meal service.

"I really feel it promotes our neighborhood," she said.